Wire threading method and apparatus



April 18, 1967 JUDGE WIRE THREADING METHOD AND APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet1' Filed April 29, 1964 INVENTOR ROBERT L. JUDGE Fifi III III ATTORNEYApril 18, 196? R. L. JUDGE WIRE THREADING METHOD AND APPARATUS 4Sheets-Sheet z Filed April 29, 1964 O O O O O O O O O o O O ODOOQOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO oooooooooo' April 18, 1967 ,1 L, JUDGE 3,314,131

WIRE THREADING METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed April 29, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet5 2 5 5g as F N ca\ i i. 0 1 m I FIG. 5

April 18, 1967 R. L. JUDGE 3,314,131

WIRE THREADING METHOD AND APPARATUS United States Patent Ofiice3,314,131 Patented Apr. 18, 1967 3,314,131 WIRE THREADING METHOD ANDAPPARATUS Robert L. Judge, Poughkeepsie, N.Y., assignor to InternationalBusiness Machines Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New YorkI Filed Apr. 29, 1964, Ser. No. 363,481

30 Claims. (Cl. 29-1555) This invention relates in general to wireinserting techniques and more particularly to techniques for threadingthin, flexible wires through groups of small, apertured articles.

In the manufacture of apparatus such as magnetic core memories which usecoordinate groupings of small apertured articles threaded by very thinwires, it is customary to utilize needles of various kinds for guidingthe wires through the respective rows and columns of aligned aperturesin the articles. For example, in the multiple threading of wires throughparallel rows of magnetic cores according to conventional practice, aparallel group of hollow needles is passed simultaneously through theholes in several rows of toroidal magnetic cores, and the wires then arefed respectively through the hollow centers of these needles, followingwhich the needles are withdrawn. In the special hand-wiring operationswhich also are required in assembling core memory planes according toconventional practice, a solid needle having a smaller diameter than ahollow needle is used to guide the wire, the leading end of this wirebeing secured by a suitable technique (such as percussive welding) tothe trailing end of the needle.

Needle threading methods of the types just described have been employedvery effectively in the past for wiring large groups of aperturedarticles such as the core planes of magnetic core memories. However, arecent trend in the design of such apparatus contemplates reducing thesize of the cores through which the wires are threaded, there by toimprove the performance of the core array. Where such reduction of thehole size is contemplated, the use of conventional needle threadingtechniques for wiring the core planes becomes very questionable, if notimpossible. A hollow needle requires a hole diameter in the coresgreater than is considered desirable for obtaining the improvedperformance expected of. such memory elements in the newer designs.Solid needles can be passed through holes of smaller size, but the useof such needles is not considered economically feasible in multiple wirethreading operations inasmuch as this would require making a largenumber of highly accurate and reliable bond (as by percussive welding)between a plurality of needles and their respective wires prior to eachwire feeding operation. Moreover, the danger of damaging the cores withsuch needles tends to increase as the core size decreases. Making thewires out of material that is inherently rigid or stiff would be one wayof eliminating the use of needles, but such a proposal has very limitedutility because in most cases it is desired that the wire be flexibleenough so that it can be fed from a spool or reel into the coreassembly.

Magnetic core memory planes often use combination bit-sense wires thatare too thick to be threaded through the cores by means of hollowneedles. Furthermore, such arrays often are designed so that these wiresmust be skewed or zigz-agged at certain places in each core plane toprovide noise cancellation. Such conditions have made it necessaryheretofore to employ skilled and time-consuming hand-wiring operations(using solid needles as above described) for inserting such wires intothe array. Mechanization of the entire wiring procedure to eliminatesuch manual threading operations is considered highly desirable.

A general object of this invention is to expedite the manufacture ofapparatus comprising wired assemblies of small, apertured articles byeliminating the necessity for using needles or similar devices to guide.the wires through the apertures in the articles.

Another object is to provide economical means for enabling a largenumber of thin, flexible wires to be threaded simultaneously throughseveral rows of apertured articles whose holes are too small to permitthe passage of hollow needles or similar wire guiding means.

Still another object is to enable the hole diameters 'in aperturedmagnetic memory elements to be reduced substantially below the minimumdiameter which now is considered feasible when the conventional methodsfor manufacturing such apparatus are employed.

A further object is to expedite the manufacture of magnetic corememories by eliminating the hand-wiring operations which customarily areemployed in threading certain of the wires through each core planeassembly and substituting therefor a multiple wire feeding operation bymechanical means.

A still further object is to introduce the desired skews or zigzags inthe wiring by a simple mechanical motion instead of requiring a skilledhand threading operation for that purpose.

The invention features a novel method of mechanically pretreating amultiplicity of parallel wires by simultaneously stretching theirforward end portions until these portions break, thereby causing theremainder of each wire to have a leading end portion which has beenreduced and hardened by the tensile working of the wire in the vicinityof its break point. The hardened end portion on each wire, having apoint that resembles the nose of a miniature bullet, then serves as anintegral needle for guiding the remainder of the wire into and out ofthe successive aligned apertures in the cores or other aperturedelements as the several wires are fed therethrough. The tensilestressing of the wires also serves to eliminate any ripples or bends inthe stressed portions thereof.

Another feature of the invention involves the provision of a novelmatrix for supporting the apertured elements while they are being wired,s aid matrix having adjoining fixed and movable portions which can beindexed with respect to each other for thereby skewing certain of thewires that have been threaded through these elements, the skewing actiontaking place on the lines where the fixed and movable portions of thematrix adjoin.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of theinvention will be apparent from the following more particulardescription of a preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustratedin the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an exemplary apparatus embodying the invention,said apparatus being utilized in this instance to insert a third set ofcoordinate wires into a core plane assembly which already contains twoother sets of coordinate Wires.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, enlarged plan view, partially in section,showing the novel mechanical pretreatment which is given to the wires bythe apparatus of FIG. 1

just before said wires are inserted into the core assembly.

FIG. 3 is a partially schematic plan view showing the respectiveportions of the core supporting matrix in their initial relativeposition, with the first two sets of coordinate wires positioned in thecore assembly.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing one of the matrix sections displacedrelative to the other so as to impart a skew to one of the two sets ofwires in the assembly, just before the insertion of the third set ofwires therein. Fragmentary portions of the adjacent wire guiding meansalso are shown in this view.

FIG. 5 is a vertical section along the line 5-5 on FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary plan view, partially in section, showing thepositions of some of the wires in the third coordinate set before thesame are inserted into the core assembly.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary vertical section showing one of the wires in thethird set after it has been threaded through the first few cores in itsrespective row of cores.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary plan view which shows some of the wires in thethird set after they have progressed through the assembly to positionsabove the skewed portions of the wires in the second set.

As indicated in the drawings, the principles of this invention may beapplied very advantageously to the manufacture of core planes (planarcore assemblies) which are used in magnetic core memories. This can bedone in several ways. Thus, the invention may be utilized for insertingall of the coordinate wires into the core plane by multiple wireinserting operations performed without the use of needles. Even wheresome of the coordinate wires are inserted by means of hollow needles,however, as is done in the conventional partially mechanized wiringprocedure, the invention still may find useful application ineliminating the slow and laborious hand-wiring operations that have beennecessary in threading the remaining coordinate wires through the coresaccording to conventional practice. Not only are such hand-wiringoperations intricate and time-consuming, but there is also the dangerthat the manipulations of the needles may damage the cores or thewiring. These hand-wiring operations have been further complicated bythe fact that in the conventional design, those wires which are insertedby hand are also the wires which must be skewed or zigzagged by hand.The present invention simplifies this procedure greatly by makingprovision for mechanically skewing or zigzagging certain of the wireswhich have been mechanically inserted into the core plane, therebyproviding the desired noise cancelling effect without any hand-wiringoperations.

In describing the embodiment of the invention disclosed herein, it isassumed that two of the three sets of coordinate wires employed in theassembly (namely, those sets conventionally designated the X wires and Ywires) already have been inserted into the core Plane by a suitabletechnique, whether this be a conventional technique as disclosed inUnited States Patent No. 2,958,126, issued on November 1, 1960 to W. P.Shaw et al., for example, or by some other method such as the one hereindisclosed. It will be assumed also (in accordance with conventionalpractice) that the coordinate wires in the third set, known as theinhibit-sense wires, have diameters such that these wires could not befed through the cores by means of hollow needles. It is not herebyintended to limit the application of the invention to such a condition,however, for it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that theprinciple of the invention can be utilized for inserting any or all ofthe coordinate wires into an assembly of cores or like elements,regardless of whether or not such wires could or could not be insertedby other means.

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows the general plan layout ofan illustrative apparatus for inserting coordinate wires into a planarassembly of toroidal magnetic cores in accordance with the invention.The principal parts of the apparatus comprise a core sup-porting unit10, a wire feeding unit 12 (movable to the left and to the right asviewed in FIG. 1), a wire clamping unit 14 (movable along a transversepath as indicated by the solid-line and broken-line positions thereof inFIG. 1), and a wire receiving unit 16 (movable to the right and to theleft as viewed in FIG. 1).

The core supporting unit 10 has a matrix therein adapted to support thetoroidal magnetic cores which are to be threaded by the coordinatewires. This matrix consists of a stationary section 18 and an adjacentmovable section 29, which is capable of being shifted or indexedtransversely of the wire path from the position thereof illustrated inFIG. 3 to the position thereof illustrated in FIG. 4, the purpose ofthis arrangement being described presently. In executing this movement,the matrix section 20 slides between the stationary matrix section 18and another stationary member 21 on the core supporting unit 10, as willbe described more fully hereinafter.

The wires 22, FIG. 1, which are to be inserted into the core plane arefed generally from right to left, as viewed in FIG. 1, by the wirefeeding unit 12. During the mechanical pretreatment phase of the wirefeeding operation, however, the wires may be pulled to the right, asviewed in FIG. 1, in order to break off their forward end portions whichare held by the clamping unit 14. In performing this wire breaking step,the wire feeding unit 12 is moved slightly to the right. FIG. 1 showsthe unit 12 in a position intermediate its extreme right-hand andleft-hand positions, just prior to the breaking of the wires.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 3, the stationary matrix section 18 and themovable matrix section 20 are provided with individual core holdingrecesses 24 (some which are shown in FIG. 7) that are adapted to holdthe toroidal cores C in positions to be wired. These recesses 24communicate through suction ports as 26, FIG. 7, with an exhaust chambersuch as 28 in the matrix section 18 or 20, as the case may be. Theexhaust chamber in each of the sections 18 and 2t) communicates with asuction pipe 30, FIG. 1, connected to a suitable air exhausting means(not shown). The suction maintained in the core receiving apertures 24,FIG. 7, helps to maintain the cores C firmly in place during thesubsequent wire inserting operation. This core holding technique is wellknown and will not be described in further detail herein. Covers 82 forthe matrix sections 18 and 20 are provided with wire slots as 25, FIGS.6 and 7, to receive the wires 34 and 36.

It is assumed herein that the illustrated apparatus is being employed toinsert a third set of coordinate wires 22, FIG. 1, into a core arraywhich already contains two other sets of coordinate wires, the latterrespectively comprising the X wires 34 and the Y wires 36, FIG. 3. Asmentioned hereinabove, conventional means may be employed for threadingthe coordinate wires 34 and 36, respectively, through the cores C, ifthe holes in these cores are large enough to accommodate the hollowneedles that are used for guiding the wires 34 and 36 in conventionalpractice. However, the principles of the present invention have beenextended to the threading of these X and Y wires, too, therebyeliminating all conventional wire threading techniques in themanufacture of core planes. The instant description will be concernedspecifically with the insertion of the third set of coordinate wires 22(commonly known as the inhibit-sense wires) into the core plane as anexample of the manner in which such wire threading operations can beperformed according to the invention. As shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, thewires 22 are considerably thicker than the wires 34 and 36 and could notbe threaded through the cores C by means of hollow needles. Inconventional practice the wires 22 would be inserted through the coresby hand, using solid needles welded to these wires for guiding the same.

As shown in FIG. 3, the toroidal cores C are positioned diagonally withrespect to the X and Y Wires 34- and 36 on which they are strung, as iscustomary in this type of apparatus. The wires 34 and 36 are secured attheir outer ends to an open, rectangular, supporting frame 38 ofinsulating material, FIGS. 3, 4, 5 and 7, which carries individualmetallic contact pieces (such as 40, FIGS. 3 and 7, and 42, FIGS. 3 and4) to which the respective wires 34 and 36 are individually secured.Thus, the core array, prior to insertion of the third set of coordinatewires 22 therein, consists of the open, rectangular frame 38 to which issecured a gridwork of intersecting coordinate wires 34 and 36 on whichthe cores C are strung, these cores being positioned at the individualbit storage positions respectively defined by the intersections of the Xand Y coordinate wires 34 and 36. The upper edge portions of thestationary support members 13 and 21 are appropriately recessed toreceive the core frame member 38, as indicated in FIGS. 5 and 7, and themovable matrix section 241 is suitably recessed to receive said framemember and still permit the requisite sliding movement of the matrixsection 20. If desired, fastening devices such as the screws 43, FIG. 3,may be utilized for holding the frame 38 on the support members 18 and21 during the wire threading operation herein described.

It has been explained hereinabove that in order to provide the desirednoise cancellation effect in a magnetic core memory plane, certain ofthe wires are skewed or zigzagged at predetermined places in theassembly. Customarily this is done at the time when the sense wires (orthe combination inhibit-sense wires, where such are employed) areinserted into the core plane. In accordance with the present method ofwiring a core plane, however, the desired skewing is impaired to one ofthe other sets of coordinate wires (in this instance the X wires 34,FIGS. 3 and 4) before the third set of wires 22 is threaded through thearray. Such skewing of the X wires 34 is accompanied very convenientlyin the present apparatus by means of the movable matrix section 20,which is capable of sliding for a limited distance transversely of thedirection in which the wires 34 extend. This will be explained in detailpresently.

The partially wired core plane, consisting of the frame 38, coordinatewires 34 and 36 and the cores C, appears initially as shown in FIG. 3(some of the wires and cores being omitted from this view for clarity).The X wires 34 initially extend in straight lines through the array andare suitably secured at their outer ends to the individual contactpieces 40 on the ends of the frame 38. The Y wires 36 respectively aresecured to individual contact pieces 42 mounted on the sides of the coreframe 38. For reasons which will be explained presently, transverse rowsof anchor pins 44 and 46, FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, are provided respectively onadjacent edge portions of the matrix sections 18 and 2t and similartransverse rows of anchor pins 48 and 5t] respectively are provided onadjacent edge portions of the matrix section 20 and the stationarymember 21. These pins 44, 46, 43 and 50 initially help to locate thewires 34 on the core supporting unit 10. Subsequently, when the matrixsection 20 is moved from the position thereof shown in FIG. 3 to theposition thereof shown in FIG. 4, these pins serve to anchor and supportthe skewed and unskewed portions of the wires 34 and to prevent stressfrom being exerted upon the cores C and upon the joints between thewires 34 and their contact pieces 40.

The purpose of skewing the wires 34, as represented in FIG. 4, is toprovide the desired noise cancellation effect in the finished coreplane. As mentioned hereinabove, such noise cancelling propertycustomarily is provided by skewing the inhibit-sense wires of the array,but in the present instance it is preferred to accomplish this objectiveby skewing the X wires and leaving the inhibit-sense wires straight. Inorder to effect the desired wire skewing action, the movable matrixsection 24 is actuated by a thumb screw 51, FIGS. 3 and 4, whichisthreaded through a tapped opening in a stationary supporting bracket54 to bear against one side of the movable matrix section 2t). It isassumed that the matrix section 20 is provided with suitable motionlimiting means (not shown) for accurately locating it in either of itsextreme positions. By turning the knob 52 on the screw 51, the matrixsection 20 is moved from the position thereof shown in FIG. 3 to theposition thereof shown in FIG. 4, during which movement the pins 46 and48 thereon bear against the respective wires 34 and cause them to beskewed as represented in FIG. 4. The portions of the wires 34 disposedbetween the pins 44 and 46, and also between the pins 48 and 5-0 arestretched without breaking, leaving them with a permanent set so thatthey maintain the skewed positions thereof shown in FIG. 4 after thecompleted core plane assembly is removed from the apparatus. In practicethe pins 44, 4-6, 48 and 50 are made retractable in order to facilitatethe removal of the core plane from the apparatus upon completion of thewiring operation. The actual amount of indexing movement imparted to themovable matrix secti-on2t} is on the order of .07 inch in a specificmodel of the illustrated apparatus which has been constructed. Thedisplacement of the section 20 always will be a whole number of the rowspacings between wires 34.

With the X wires 34 properly skewed as represented in FIG. 4, the corearray now is ready to receive the third set of coordinate wirescomprising, in this instance, the inhibit-sense wires 22, FIG. 1. Beforethese wires 22 are inserted into the array, however, their forward endportions thereof are given a mechanical pretreatment, in accordance withthe principle of the invention, to provide needle-like leading ends onthese wires 22. As a first step in this pretreatment process, the wireclamping unit 14 is moved from the broken-line position thereof, FIG. 1,to the position thereof represented by solid lines in FIG. 1, where itis adapted to grip or clamp the wires 22 near their forward ends. Duringthe pretreatment operation the wire clamping unit 14 is intermediate thecore supporting unit 10 and the wire feeding unit 12 as shown in FIG. 1.The wires 22 extend from a source thereof (not shown) at the right ofFIG. 1 and are passed beneath a wire clamping device 60 (presently inits raised position) on the wire feeding unit 12, thence beneath a feedroller 62 and finally beneath the raised clamping device 66 on the wireclamping unit 14. The feed roller 62 is provided with a hand wheel orknob 64, FIG. 1, and is positioned between two wire guide members orhousings 68 and 70 mounted on the wire feeding unit 12. The members 68and 7% have suitable wire guiding channels or grooves therein, thechannels 72 in the guide member 70 being clearly shown in FIGS. 2, 6 and7. Preferably the members 68 and 70 are made of clear plastic so thatthe wires 22 will be visible therethrough.

In performing the mechanical pretreatment, the wires 22 first areclamped in three places. The forward portions thereof are gripped by theclamping device 66, which is operated by suitable actuating means (notshown). The feed roller 62 is clamped by an associated clamping meansoperated by the handle 76, FIG. 1, causing the roller 62 to be securedagainst rotation and pressing it firmly against the wires 22 beneath it.The means for clamping the wire feeding roller 62 is not shown indetail, but it is similar to a well-known mechanism for clamping theneedle feeding roller in a conventional wire threading machine as shown,for example, in the aforesaid Shaw et al. Patent No. 2,958,126. Thethird point at which the wires 22 are clamped is beneath the clampingdevice 60, FIG. 1, which is operated by a handle 78. With the wires 22firmly gripped by the clamps 60 and 66 and by the clamped feed roller62, the mechanical pretreatment of these wires may commence.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the pretreatment is administered byretracting the feed unit 12 to the right, as viewed in these figures,until the wires 22 break as indicated in FIG. 2, leaving the forward endportion 22a of each wire disconnected from the remainder of its wire 22.It will be assumed that suitable means are employed for retracting thefeed unit 12 to accomplish such breakage of the wires 22, the specificmeans employed not being pertinent to this invention. With the wires 22being clamped as indicated in FIG. 1, and with the retracting forcebeing applied gradually by movement of the feed unit 12, the portions ofthe wires 22 intermediate the clamp 66 and the clamped feed roller 22will be stretched gradually beyond their elastic limits and then willbreak at their weakest points. By experiment it has been found that allof the wires will tend to break within a space of less than 2 inchesbetween the clamping unit 14 and the forward end of the wire guidehousing 70 on the feed unit 12.

The wires 22 are made of a suitable material such as copper or copperalloy which tends to harden when subjected to tensile stress beyond itselastic limit. Such tensile working of the material in each of the wires22 therefore causes the stressed portion of this wire to be come hardand straight for a substantial distance. Moreover, as each wire 22breaks, the leading end on the unbroken remainder of the wire 22 isreduced to a miniature bullet nose 80, as shown in FIGS. 2, 6, 7 and 8.Hence, by applying tensile stress to the wires 22 until the forwardportions of 22a thereof are broken away as shown in FIG. 2, theremainder of each wire 22 is left with a hardened leading end portionterminating in a pointed nose 80, and this hardened end portion isequivalent to a solid needle integral with the wire 22 and having adiameter no greater than that of the trailing portion of such wire.

After the forward end portions 22a have been separated from theremainders of their respective wires 22 as shown in FlG. 2, the clampingunit 14 is withdrawn to the broken-line position thereof indicated inFIG. 1. The handles 76 and 78 then are turned to release the clampingroller 62 and the clamping device 60, respectively. The knob 64 isturned sufficiently in the proper direction to retract the pretreatedwires 22 within the guide member 70 of the feed unit 12. As indicated inFIG. 2, the wires 22 break at various points in the gap between theclamping unit 14 and the guide member 70, so that the handle 64 must beturned through a sufiicient angle for retracting the longest protrudinglength of wire 22 back within the guide member 70. The wire supply means(not shown) is assumed to take up the slack when the wires 22 are thusretracted into the guide member 70.

After the hardened leading end portions of the wires 22 have beenretracted as just described, and the clamping unit 12 has been withdrawnfrom the wire path, the entire wire feeding unit 12 now is advancedbodily to the left as viewed in FIG. 1, bringing the forward end of theguide member 70 into proximity with the stationary matrix section 18, asshown in FIGS. 6 and 7. The guide member 70 is adapted to overlap a partof the matrix section 18, extending past the nearest end of the coreframe member 38 to within a short distance of the first column ofmagnetic cores C on the matrix section 18.

To assist in holding the cores C in place, a suitable cover 82, FIGS. 4,5 and 7, is placed on each of the matrix sections 18 and 20, each ofthese covers 82 having individual recesses in its under surface forreceiving the cores C and also being provided with channels or wireslots 25 therein for receiving the wires 22 as the latter are fedthrough the array. With the wire feeding unit 12 in its extremeleft-hand position as viewed in FIGS. 6 and 7, the gap between the guidemember 76 and the cover 82 is quite small. The cover 82, like the guidemember 70, may be made of clear plastic in order to facilitate viewingthe wires 22 as they are fed through the core array.

FIG. 6 shows, on an enlarged scale, the leading end portions of thewires 22 after they have been retracted back into the guide housing 70and the housing 70 has been advanced to within a short distance of thefirst column of cores C. The wires 22 are fed into the core plane byturning the knob 64, FIG. 1, to rotate the feed roller 62. As the wires22 are being fed, the hardened leading end portions of the wires 22serve to guide these such parts of the structure as the guide slots 72,the inner edges of the cores C, and the guide pins such as 44 and 46,FIGS. 6, 7 and 8. The arrangement preferably is such that the greatestdistance between successive wire guiding points during the travel ofeach wire 22 will be on the order of 0.15 inch. The reduced noseportions on the leading ends of the wires 22 enhance the self-guidingaction afforded by the hardened leading end portions of these wires.FIG. 8 represents the leading end portions of the wires 22 as they leavethe first part of the core plane, which is positioned on the stationarymatrix section 18, and enter the second part of the core plane,positioned on the movable matrix section 20. It will be noted that thenose portions 80 of the wires 22 are not transversely aligned with eachother in view of the fact that the wires 22 usually do not break incorresponding places when these wires are mechanically pretreated asabove described.

The wire receiving unit 16, FIGS. 1 and 4, is adapted to receive theleading ends of the wires 22 after the same have emerged from the coreplane. The unit 16 includes a guide member or housing 90, preferablymade of clear plastic, which is appropriately grooved to receive therespective wires 22. The wire receiving unit 16 is movable from aposition thereof shown in FIG. 1 to the position thereof schematicallyrepresented in FIG. 4, in order to receive the leading wire ends afterthey pass between $16 final guide pins 59 and out of the core planeassem- Briefly summarizing the operation of the illustrated apparatus, apartially wired core plane, containing the X wires 34, the Y wires 36and the toroidal cores C strung on the intersections thereof, is placedon the core supporting unit 10 as shown in FIG. 3. The movable matrixsection 20 then is indexed by turning the knob 52, causing the matrixsection 20 to move from the position thereof shown in FIG. 3 to theposition thereof shown in FIG. 4. This displaces those portions of thewires 34- which are disposed on the matrix section 20 relative to thoseportions of the same wires which are disposed on the matrix 18, theamount of displacement being a whole number of the row spaces betweenadjacent wires 34. The portions of the wires 34 disposed between theanchor pins 44 and 46, and between the anchor pins 48 and 50,respectively, are skewed as shown in FIG. 4 so that the final corememory array will have the desired noise cancelling property.

The core plane now is ready to receive the third set of coordinate wires22, which are assumed herein to be the inhibit-sense wires of the coreplane. However, these wires 22 first must be pretreated mechanically sothat they can be threaded through the cores without the aid of needles.To do this, the forward end portions of the wires 22 are clamped by thewire clamping unit 14, FIG. 1, whereupon the wire feeding unit 12 isretracted to the r ght as viewed in FIG. 1, causing the forward endportlons 22a of the wires 22 to break off as indicated in FIG. 2. All ofthese wire breakages occur within the gap that now exists between theunits 12 and 14. The wire clamping unit 14 now is retracted out of thewire path, while the broken ends of wires held thereby are released anddisposed of. The tensile working of the wires 22 causes the materialtherein (principally copper) to become hardened, and it also removes anyripples in the end portions of the wires 22 so that the leading ends ofthese wires are hard and straight, thereby adapting them to perform afunction comparable to that of the solid needles which are employed inthe conventional handw1r1ng practice to thread the inhibit-sense wiresthrough the core array. The hardening of the wires 22 occurs principallyin the tensioned portions thereof that are disposed in advance of theclamped feed roller 62, FIG. 1. However, it is believed that sometensioning and consequent hardening of the material occurs also in theportions of the wires 22 between the roller 62 and the wire clampingdevice 60, inasmuch as the clamped roller 62 probably does notcompletely restrain the wires 22 against movement relative thereto.

After being pretreated as just described, the wires 22 temporarily areretracted within the guide housing 70 (as indicated in FIG. 6) byrotating the now-released feed roller 62. The wires 22 then are broughtto a point near the core plane by moving the wire feeding unit 12 to theposition thereof shown in FIGS. 4, and 6, following which these wiresare advanced through the core array by turning the feed roller 62. Asillustrated in PEG. 7, the wires 22 pass above the wires 34 in parallelrelation therewith and cross over the wires 36 at right angles thereto.Due to the preliminary skewing of the wires 34, as described above, eachwire 22 will overlie different ones of the wires 34 in the two sectionsof the core array that are respectively positioned on the matrixsections 18 and 20. This is clearly indicated in FIG. 8. After the wires22 have advanced through the core plane and into the Wire receiving unit16, FIG. 1, they are trimmed by a cutting means (not shown). Followingthis, the wires 22 may be bonded to individual contact pieces (notshown) mounted on the core plane frame 38. Assembly of the core planewith its three sets of coordinate wires now is completed.

The term wire as employed herein is intended to denote a thin, normallyflexible filament, especially one made of copper, copper alloy or othersuitable material which has the property of becoming relatively hard,rigid or stiff when subjected to a tensile stress beyond its elasticlimit. The tensile working of such material which occurs upon stretchingand breaking off a portion of the wire tends to straighten any ripplesin the wire and conveniently provides it with a needle-like end portionwhich is relatively hard or stiff for a substantial distance back of thebreakage point. After receiving such pretreatment, the wire can readilybe fed by a roller through the aligned holes in a row of toroidal coresin the array, the hardened leading portion of the wire being ofsufiicient length to bridge the greatest distance between successivewire guiding points in the path of the wire and to maintain the desireddirection thereof, from the feeding unit 12 to the receiving unit 1.6.Wires having a diameter as small as 0.0022 inch (No. 44 wfre) have beensuccessfully used in accordance with the disclosed method.

This invention makes it feasible to insert all of the coordinateconductors into a magnetic core plane by mechanized, multiple Wirethreading operations, thereby eliminating the slow handwiring techniquesthat must otherwise be employed. The instant method also eliminates thedamage that may be caused to the cores or to the wiring of the array byunskillful hand threading. It furthermore enables the core memorydesigner to choose which set of coordinate wires will be skewed toprovide the desired noise cancelling effect, rather than limiting thischoice to one particular set of wires, the only re quirement now beingthat the set of wires to be skewed must be inserted into the planebefore the superposed set of straight wires (if any) is inserted.

To practice the present novel method of inserting coordinate wires intoa planar assembly of apertured articles,

one is not necessarily limited to the specific type of apparatus hereindisclosed. In an experimental model of this invention adapted to operateon the same principle, but without the refinements of the later improveddesign, good results were obtained by using a conventional needle andwire feeding apparatus of the type disclosed in the above-mentionedPatent No. 2,958,126, such apparatus being modified only to the extentof enabling the forward ends of a set of wires to be clamped forpretreatment purposes before such wires enter the core plane rather thanbeing clamped after leaving the core plane as dis closed in said patent.In the particular adaptation just described, all of the feed rollerscooperated directly with the wires, since no needles were used whenfeeding the mechanically pretreated wires.

While the invention has been particularly shown and 10 described withreference to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood bythose skilled in the art that changes in form and details may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of threading a row of aligned apertured articles with a wiremade of material that normally is flexible but which is capable of beinghardened by the application thereto of tensile stress in excess of itselastic limit, said method comprising the steps of subjecting a leadingportion of the wire to tension which causes the material in said portionof the wire to be stressed in excess of its elastic limit, therebyhardening the stressed material in a substantial length of the wireextending from the leading end thereof, and feeding the wire through thealigned apertures in said row of apertured articles in such. manner thatthe hardened leading portion of the wire maintains the wire in thedesired direction as it ruoves through said row of articles. 2. A methodof threading a row of aligned apertured articles with a wire made ofmaterial that normally is flexible but which is capable of beinghardened by the application thereto of tensile stress in excess of itselastic limit, said method comprising the steps of subjecting an endportion of the wire to a tensile stress which causes a forward partthereof to break away from the remainder of the wire, thereby causingthe stressed material in a leading end portion of said remainder to behardened for a substantial length of the wire behind the point ofbreakage, and

feeding said remainder of the wire through the aligned apertures in saidrow of apertured articles in such manner that the hardened leadingportion of the wire maintains the desired direction of the wire as itmoves through said row of articles.

3. A method of threading a wire of cupreous materialthrough asubstantiaily straight guide path at least part of which is defined by asuccession of spaced apertured articles having their apertures alignedon said path, said method comprising the steps of applying to said wiretensile stress sufiicient to harden the cupreous material in a leadingportion of the wire the length of which is at least equal to the maximumdistance between successive wire guiding points in said path, and

feeding the wire through said path in such manner that the hardenedleading portion of the wire serves to maintain the desired direction ofthe wire as it passes between successive wire guiding points in saidpath.

4. A method of threading a wire of cupreous material through asubstantially straight guide path at least part of which is defined by asuccession of spaced apertured articles having their apertures alignedon said path, said method comprising the steps of applying to said wiretensile stress sulficient to break a forward portion of the wire awayfrom the remainder of the wire and cause the leading end portion of saidremainder to become hardened by the tensile working of the cupreousmaterial therein throughout a length of the wire at least equal to themaximum distance between successive wire guiding points in said path,and

feeding said remainder of the wire through said path in such manner thatthe hardened leading portion thereof serves to maintain the desireddirection of the wire as it passes between successive wire guidingpoints on said path.

5. A method of threading a row of aligned apertured articles with a wiremade of material that normally is flexible but which is capable of beinghardened by the application thereto of tensile stress in excess of itselastic limit, said method comprising the steps of subjecting an endportion of the wire to a tensile stress which causes a forward partthereof to break away 1 i from the remainder of the wire, therebyreducing the wire in the vicinity of the break to form a substantiallypointed end on said remainder and causing the leading portion of saidremainder to be hardened for a substantial length behind said pointedend thereof, and feeding said remainder of the wire through the alignedapertures in said row of ape-rtured articles in such manner that thehardened leading portion of the wire maintains the desired direction ofthe wire as it moves through said row of articles. 6. A method ofthreading a wire of cupreous material through a substantially straightguide path at least part of which is defined by a succession of spacedapertured articles having their apertures aligned on said path, saidmethod comprising the steps of applying to said wire tensile stresssufficient to break a forward portion of the wire away from theremainder of the wire, thereby reducing the wire in the vicinity of thebreak to form a substantially pointed end of said remainder and causingthe leading portion of said remainder to be hardened for a substantiallength behind said pointed end thereof, and

feeding said remainder of the wire through said path in such manner thatthe hardened leading portion thereof serves to maintain the desireddirection of the Wire as it passes between successive wire guidingpoints on said path.

7. A method of threading a row of aligned apertured articles with a wiremade of material that normally is flexible but which is capable of beinghardened by the application thereto of tensile stress in excess of itselastic limit, said method comprising the steps of longitudinally movingthe wire in a forward direction to a postion near the row of aperturedarticles, restraining a forward portion of the wire against furthermovement,

longitudinally moving the remainder of the Wire in a reverse directionto stretch it and break it away from the restrained forward portionthereof, thereby causing a leading portion of said remainder to bereduced and hardened by the tensile working of the material therein,

removing the broken forward portion of the wire, and

longitudinally moving the remainder of the wire forwardly through therow of apertured articles in such manner that the hardened leadingportion thereof maintains the desired direction of the wire as it movesthrough the aligned apertures in said articles.

8. A method of threading a wire of cupreous material through asubstantially straight guide path at least part of which is defined by asuccession of spaced apertured articles having their apertures alignedon said path, said method comprising the steps of longitudinally movingthe wire in a forward direction to a position near the row of aperturedarticles, restraining a forward portion of the wire against furthermovement,

longitudinally moving an adjoining portion of the wire in a reversedirection to stretch it and break it away from the restrained forwardportion thereof, thereby causing the stretched portion of the wire to behardened by the tensile working of the cupreous material therein for adistance at least equal to the maximum distance between successive wireguiding points in said path,

removing the broken forward portion of the wire, and

longitudinally moving the remainder of the wire forwardly through therow of apertured articles with the hardened portion thereof in the leadfor maintaining the desired direction of the wire as it passes throughthe aligned apertures in said articles.

9. A method of simultaneously threading several parallel rows of alignedapertured articles with wires each made of a material that normally isflexible but which is capable 12 of being hardened by the applicationthereto of tensile stress in excess of its elastic limit, said methodcomprising the steps of simultaneously subjectin the leading portions ofthe several wires to tension which causes the material in the leadingportion of each wire to be stressed in excess of its elastic limit,thereby hardening the stressed material in a substantial length of thewire extending from the leading end thereof, and simultaneously feedingthe wires respectively through said rows of apertured articles in suchmanner that the hardened leading portion of each wire maintains the wirein the desired direction as it moves through its row of articles. in. Amethod of simultaneously threading a plurality of wires of cupreousmaterial respectively through a plurality of parallel guide paths eachdefined in part 'by a succession of spaced apertured articles aligned onthe respective path, said method comprising the steps of simultaneouslyapplying to said wires tensile stress suificient to harden the cupreousmaterial in a leading portion of each wire, the length of such leadingportion being at least equal to the maximum distance between successivewire guiding points in the respective one of said paths, and feeding thewires simultaneously through said paths in such manner that the hardenedleading portion of each wire serves to maintain the desired direction ofthe wire as it passes between successive wire guiding points in itsrespective path. fl. A method of threading a plurality of parallel rowsof apertured articles respectively with wires made of material thatnormally is flexible but which is capable of being hardened by theapplication thereto of tensile stress in excess of its elastic limit,said method comprising the steps of longitudinally moving the wiressimultaneously in a forward direction to positions near the respectiverows of apertured articles, simultaneously restraining the forwardportions of the respective wires against movement, longitudinally movingthe adjoining unrestrained portions of the respective wiressimulatneously in a reverse direction to stretch them and break themaway from the restrained forward portions thereof, thereby causing theleading portion of the remainder of each wi e to be reduced and hardenedby the tensile working of the material therein, removing the brokenforward portions of the wires, and longitudinally moving the remaindersof the respective wires forwardly simultaneously through the rows ofapertured articles in such manner that the hardened leading portion ofeach Wire maintains the desired direction of such wire as it movesthrough the aligned apertures in its respective row of articles. 12. Amethod of threading a plurality of wires of cupreous materialrespectively through substantially parallel guide paths each defined inpart by a succession of spaced apertured articles aligned on therespective path, said method comprising the steps of longitudinallymoving the wires simultaneously in a forward direction to positions nearthe respective rows of apertured articles, simultaneously restrainingthe forward portions of the respective wires against movement,longitudinally moving the adjoining unrestrained portions of therespective wires simultaneously in a reverse direction to stretch themand break them away from the restrained forward portions thereof,thereby causing the stretched portion of each wire to be hardened by thetensile working of the cupreous material therein for a distance at leastequal to the maximum distance between successive wire guiding points inits respective path,

removing the broken forward portions of the wires,

and longitudinally moving the remainders of the respective wiresforwardly simultaneously through the rows of apertured articles with thehardened portion of each wire being in the lead to maintain the desireddirection of the wire as it passes through the aligned articles in itspath. 13. In the manufacture of a magnetic core memory plane whichcontains rows and columns of magnetic cores threaded =by sets ofcoordinate wires, the wires in one of said sets extending generallyparallel to the wires in another of said sets through the several rowsof cores in said plane, a method of producing a partially offsetrelationship between the wires of said one set and the wires of saidother set to provide for noise cancellation in the completed core plane,said method comprising the steps of shifting the position of one groupof magnetic cores in said plane relative to the position of anothergroup of magnetic cores in said plane through a limited distance equalto a whole number of row spacings transversely of the general directionin which said one set of wires extends, thereby causing the portions ofthose wires threading said one group of cores to be oifset by one ormore rows with respect to the portions of the same wires threading theother group of cores in said plane and concurrently imparting a skew tothe portions of such wires intermediate the relatively offset portionsthereof, and

advancing the wires of said other set along substantially straight pathsfor threading the same through the newly aligned rows of cores in therelatively shifted groups thereof, whereby the relatively offsetportions of each wire in said one set are positioned respectivelyadjacent to different wires of said other set. 14. A method as set forthin claim 13 wherein the intermediate portions of the wires in said oneset are stretched as they are skewed, thereby imparting a set to theseskewed intermediate portions.

15. In the manufacture of a magnetic core memory plane which containsrows and columns of magnetic cores threaded by sets of coordinate wiresmade of cupreous material, the wires in one of said sets extendinggenerally parallel to the wires in another of said sets through the rowsof cores in said plane, the fabrication steps comprising shifting theposition of one group of magnetic cores in said plane relative to theposition of another group of magnetic cores in said plane through alimited distance equal to a whole number of row spacings transversely ofthe general direction in which said one set of wires extends, therebycausing the portions of those wires threading said one group of cores tobe offset by one or more rows with respect to the portions of the samewires threading the other group of cores in said plane and concurrentlyimparting a skew to the portions of such wires intermediate therelatively offset portions thereof,

advancing the wires of said other set from outside said core plane to aposition near the respective rows of cores in one of said groups ofcores,

restraining the forward end portions of said other wires againstmovement,

momentarily imparting a reverse movement to the adjoining portions ofsaid other wires to stretch and break said other wires near the forwardends thereof, thereby to produce hardened leading ends on said otherwires due to the tensile working of the cupreous material therein,

removing the broken forward ends of said other wires,

and

advancing the remaining portions of said other wires along substantiallystraight paths through the aligned rows of cores in the relativelyshifted groups thereof, with the hardened leading ends of said otherwires serving to maintain the straight directions of these wires betweensuccessive guide points in said paths, whereby each of said other wireseventually is positioned adjacent to different. wires of said one set inthe respective groups of cores. 16. Apparatus for causing an alignmentof apertured articles to be threaded with 'a wire made of material thatnormally is flexible but which is capable of being hardened by theapplication of tensile stress thereto beyond its elastic limit, saidapparatus comprising means for applying longitudinal stresses inopposite directions respectively to adjoining portions of the wire,thereby to break a forward portion of the wire away from the remainderof the wire and leave said remainder with a hardened leading portion,and

means for longitudinally advancing said remainder of the wire throughsaid apertured articles with the hardened leading portion thereof beingdirected along the line of apertures therein.

1'7. Apparatus for threading a row of aligned apertured articles with awire made of material that normally is flexible but which is capable ofbeing hardened by the application of tensile stress thereto beyond itselastic limit, said apparatus comprising means for applying to a forwardportion of the wire tensile stress sufficient to break the wire, therebyproducing a hardened leading end portion on the remainder of the wire,

means for feeding the wire with its hardened leading end through thealigned apertures in the row of apertured articles, and

guide means for giving at least partial guidance to the wire as the sameis fed through the row of apertured articles,

18. Apparatus for threading a wire of cupreous material through asubstantially straight guide path at least part of which is defined by asuccession of spaced apertured articles having their apertures alignedon said path, said apparatus comprising means for applying to said wiretensile stress sufiicient to break a forward portion of the wire awayfrom the remainder of the wire and cause the leading end portion of saidremainder to become hardened by the tensile working of the cupreousmaterial therein throughout a length of the wire at least equal to themaximum distance between successive wire guiding points in said path,and

feeding means for longitudinally advancing said remainder of the wirethrough said path in such manner that the hardened leading portionthereof serves to maintain the desired direction of the wire as itpasses between successive wire guiding points on said path.

19. Apparatus for threading a wire of cupreous material through asubstantially straight wire guiding path including a succession ofspaced apertured articles having their apertures aligned on said path,said apparatus comprising feeding means for longitudinally moving thewire along said path,

first clamping means for clamping a forward portion of the wire at apoint intermediate the apertured articles and said feeding means, and

second clamping means for causing the wire to be clamped at a pointsubstantially spaced from the point at which the wire is clamped by saidfirst clamping means,

said first and second clamping means being relatively movable forcausing the wire to be stretched and broken between them and being sospaced from each other that the main portion of the Wire is hardened bythe application of the tensile stress thereto for a distance at leastequal to the maximum distance between successive wire guiding points insaid path, said feeding means being adapted to feed the wire along saidpath through the aligned apertures in said articles with the hardenedpart thereof in the lead for maintaining the desired direction of thewire as it passes through the successive apertures in the articles. 20.Apparatus for threading a wire of cupreous material through asubstantially straight wire guiding path which includes a succession ofspaced apertured articles having their apertures aligned on said path,said apparatus comprising feeding means including a feed roller engagedwith said wire and normally rotatable for longitudinally moving the wirealong said path, first clamping means for clamping a forward portion ofthe wire at a point intermediate the apertured articles and said feedingmeans, second clamping means for restraining rotation of said feedroller and thereby causing the wire to be clamped by said roller at apoint longitudinally spaced from the point at which the wire is clampedby said first clamping means, third clamping means for clamping the wireat a point still further spaced from said first clamping means, andmeans for bodily moving said feed roller and said second and thirdclamping means away from said first clamping means to stretch and breakthe wire between said first and second clamping means, thereby causingthe wire to become hardened by the tensile working of the cupreousmaterial therein for a substantial distance from the point of breakage,said feeding means being effective upon release of said second and thirdclamping means for feeding the unbroken remainder of the Wire along saidpath through said apertured articles with the hardened portion of thewire in the lead for maintaining the desired direction of the wire as itpasses through said articles. 21. Apparatus for threading a plurality ofparallel rows of apertured articles respectively with wires made of amaterial that normally is flexible but which is capable of beinghardened by the application thereto of tensile stress in excess of itselastic limit, said apparatus comprising means for subjecting the endportions of the respective wire simultaneously to tensile stresses whichcause the material in such end portions to be hardened by the tensileworking thereof, and means for simultaneously feeding the Wiresrespectively through said rows of apertured articles with the hardenedend portions thereof in the lead for maintaining the desired directionsof the wires as they advance.

22. Apparatus for threading parallel rows of apertured articlesrespectively with wires made of material that normally is flexible butwhich is capable of being hardened by the application thereto of tensilestress in excess of its elastic limit, said apparatus comprising meansfor subjecting the end portions of the wires simultaneously to tensilestresses which cause the forward parts of the wires to break away fromthe remainders of the wires, thereby causing the stressed material inthe leading portion of the remainder of each wire to be hardened for asubstantial distance from the point of breakage, and

means for simultaneously feeding the remainders of the Wiresrespectively through the rows of apertured articles with the hardenedleading port-ions of these wires serving to maintain them in the desireddirections as they pass through said articles.

23. Apparatus for threading wires of cupreous material respectivelythrough parallel rows of apertured articles, comprising means forsimultaneously applying to the forward portions of the respective wireslongitudinal stresses in opposite directions for breaking the wires andthereby providing the remainder of each wire with a hardened leadingportion terminating in a substantially pointed end, and

means for simultaneously feeding these wires respectively through therows of apertured articles with the hardened leading ends of such wiresserving to maintain them in the desired directions as they pass throughthe apertured articles.

24. Apparatus for threading parallel rows of apertured articlesrespectively with wires made of a material that normally is flexible butis capable of being hardened by the application of tensile stressthereto beyond its elastic limit, said apparatus comprising means forsimultaneously applying to the forward portions of the wires tensilestress sufficient to break such portions away from the remainders of therespective wires, thereby producing a hardened end portion on theremainder of each wire,

means for simultaneously feeding the wires with their hardened endportions in the lead through the aligned apertures in the respectiverows of apertured articles, and

guide means effective in cooperation with said apertured articles forguiding the respective wires as they advance through the respective rowsof apertured articles, the hardened portion of each wire being at leastequal in length to the maximum distance between successive guide pointsin its path.

25. In an apparatus for threading parallel rows of apertured articlesrespectively with wires of cupreous material, the combination of asupporting unit for holding the rows of apertured articles in positionsto be threaded 'by the wires,

a movable member adapted to be moved toward or away from said supportingunit along a path parallel with the direction in which the rows ofapertured articles extend, said member also being adapted to remain in afixed position when desired,

rotatable wire feeding means mounted on said movable member and operableto feed a plurality of wires simultaneously along paths respectivelyaligned with the rows of apertured articles,

a wire clamping device movable into and out of the paths of the wiresbetween said supporting unit and said movable member, said device beingoperable to grip the forward end portions of the respective wires andhold the same stationary, and

a second wire clamping device mounted on said movable member forgripping the wires and substantially preventing movement thereofrelative to said movable member,

said movable member being operable when both of said wire clampingdevices are engaged with the wires to impart reverse movement to thewires for stretching and breaking the same at points intermediate saidfirst clamping device and said feeding means, thereby causing thecupreous material in the leading portions of the remaining lengths ofwire to become hardened by the tensile working thereof prior to beingadvanced by said feeding means through the respective rows of aperturedarticles.

26. An apparatus as set forth in claim 25 including means for preventingrotation of said rotatable wire feeding means while said movable memberis being operated to stretch and break the wires as aforesaid, therebyenabling said wire feeding means to exert a temporary clamping actionupon the wires.

27. Apparatus for simultaneously threading wires of cupreous materialthrough parallel rows of toroidal magetic cores in a magnetic core planecomprising core supporting means for holding the cores of the plane inpositions to be Wired,

a movable member adapted to be moved toward or away from said coresupporting means along a path parallel with the direction in which therows of cores extend, said member also being adapted to remain in afixed position when desired,

a feed roller on said movable member rotatable to feed a plurality ofwires simultaneously along wire paths respectively aligned with the rowsof cores,

wire guiding means carried by said movable member for guiding the wiresfed by said feed roller along said wire paths,

a first wire clamping device movable into and out of the wire pathsbetween said core supporting means and said movable member and operableto grip the forward end portions of the wires to prevent movementthereof, and

a second wire clamping device carried by said movable member operable toengage the wires and substantially prevent movement thereof relative tosaid movable member,

said movable member being capable of retrograde movement for stretchingthe portions of the wires intermediate said wire clamping devicessufliciently to break said wires at points between said first Wireclamping device and said feed roller, thereby caus ing the cupreousmaterial in the unbroken leading portions of the wire to become hardenedby the tensile working thereof prior to being advanced by said feedroller through the respective rows of cores positioned on said coresupporting means.

28. Apparatus as set forth in claim 27 including restraining meansoperable to prevent rotation of said feed roller while the wires arebeing stretched and broken and thereafter operable to release said feedroller so that the same may be rotated for retracting the hardenedleading portions of the wires within said wire guiding means,

said movable member thereupon being operable to advance said wireguiding means into proximity with the rows of cores which are to receivethe respective wires fed by said roller.

29. In an apparatus for manufacturing a magnetic core memory planeassembly containing rows and columns of toroidal magnetic cores threadedby sets of coordinate wires, the wires of one set extending generallyparallel to the wires of another set through the rows of cores in saidassembly, the combination comprising a supporting unit for supportingtwo groups of cores in coplanar relationship, said unit including astationary section having a portion thereof adapted to support one ofsaid groups of cores, and

a movable section for supporting the other of said groups of cores, saidlatter section being movable transversely of said core rows betweenpredetermined positions respectively defining different alignments ofthe rows in said two groups of cores,

means for shifting the position of said movable section from onepredetermined position thereof to the other predetermined positionthereof while said cores are threaded by said one set of coordiatewires, thereby causing the portions of those wires threading said onegroup of cores to be offset by one or more rows relative to the portionsof those same wires threading said other group of cores, and

wire feeding means for passing the wires of said other set alongsubstantially straight paths through the newly aligned rows of cores inthe relatively shifted groups thereof, whereby the relatively offsetportions of each wire in said one set are respectively positionedadjacent to different wires of said other set for providing the coreplane assembly with a desired noise cancelling property.

31 In an apparatus for manufacturing a magnetic core memory planeassembly containing rows and columns of toroidal magnetic cores threadedby sets of coordinate wires, the wires of one set extending generallyparallel to the wires of another set through the rows of cores in saidassembly and being secured at opposite ends thereof to fixed portions ofsaid assembly, the combination comprising a supporting unit forsupporting two groups of cores in coplanar relationship, said unitincluding a stationary section having a portion thereof adapted tosupport one of said groups of cores, and a movable section forsupporting the other of said groups of cores, said latter section beingmova-ble transversely of said core rows between predetermined positionsrespectively defining different alignments of the rows in said twogroups of cores, means for shifting the position of said movable sectionfrom one predetermined position thereof to the other predeterminedposition thereof while said cores are threaded by said one set ofcoordinate wires, thereby causing the portions of those wires threadingsaid one group of cores to be offset by one or more rows relative to theportions of those same wires threading said other group of cores andconcurrently imparting a skew to those portions of such wiresintermediate the relatively offset portions thereof,

sets of pins respectively positioned on the different sections of saidsupporting unit to apply bending and tensile stresses to saidintermediate portions of the wires in said one set as said movablesection is shifted, thereby preventing any substantial stress from beingexerted upon the cores by such wires while they are being skewed andconcentrating the resultant strain upon the skewed portions of thesewires,

wire feeding means for passing the wires of said other set alongsubstantially straight paths through the newly aligned rows of cores inthe relatively shifted groups thereof, whereby the relatively offsetportions of each wire in said one set are respectively positionedadjacent to different wires of said other set for providing the coreplane assembly with a desired noise cancelling property.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,797,608 7/1957Huyett 29-203 X 2,958,126 11/1960 Shaw et a1. 29-433 3,031,649 4/1962Snyder et al 340174 3,111,651 11/1963 Foulkes 29-155.5 X 3,117,3681/1964 Bartik 29-45556 3,134,635 5/1964 Luhn 29-205 X JOHN F. CAMPBELL,Primary Examiner, THOMAS I -I. EAGER, Examiner,

1. A METHOD OF THREADING A ROW OF ALIGNED APERTURED ARTICLES WITH A WIREMADE OF MATERIAL THAT NORMALLY IS FLEXIBLE BUT WHICH IS CAPABLE OF BEINGHARDENED BY THE APPLICATION THERTO OF TENSILE STRESS IN EXCESS OF ITSELASTIC LIMIT, SAID METHOD COMPRISING THE STEPS OF SUBJECTING A LEADINGPORTION OF THE WIRE TO TENSION WHICH CAUSES THE MATERIAL IN SAID PORTIONOF THE WIRE TO BE STRESSED IN EXCESS OF ITS ELASTIC LIMIT, THEREBYHARDENING THE STRESSED MATERIAL IN A SUBSTANTIAL LENGTH OF THE WIREEXTENDING FROM THE LEADING END THEREOF, AND FEEDING THE WIRE THROUGH THEALIGNED APERTURES IN SAID ROW OF APERTURED ARTICLES IN SUCH MANNER THATTHE HARDENED LEADING PORTION OF THE WIRE MAINTAINS THE WIRE IN THEDESIRED DIRECTION AS IT MOVES THROUGH SAID ROW OF ARTICLES.